Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-09-17
THOUGHT THEY WE'RE RORReD.
People who too Hastily Conclude that
they are the Victims OF Thieves.

L
they are the Victims OF Thieves.
soxR OF THE CASES REPoRrED AT POLICE HEAD
QUARTERs-rHE STORY or Miss FoRrEsQUE-s DtA-
NoNDs-ABsENT-NiNDKD PEOPLE WHO MfsI.AY
THEIR vALUABLEs-A CASE WHERE PUFF OF
WIND EXPOSED THIEF, HfC.
"Peopie little know" said d police ofncial to a
STAR reporter, chow many ridiculous things occur
In connection with the searching for lost or MISS
ing property. In majority OF cases those who
suffer such losses fail into the error OF accusing
people before proper search has been made They
are always ready 80 accuse somebody. Many
cases occur where men report losses of money,
&C., which afterward they ind they spent the
night before in having good time
| They are always willing, upon making
the discovery, to have the police r..
linquish their Efforts to find the missing prop
erty. Another class OF cases which are likely TO
be reported at first as rubDeries are those in which
baggage Is given to people tetransport. The bag
Ssfs a s makes perhaps mistake In the number
Is reported to the police as stolen. A case like
that occurred the other day when the doctors
ported It at headquarters as stolen it turned out
that 1t had gone with the baggage OF a friend to
another hotel and was rOund there safe much to
the relief Of the anxious DOCTOR,
The police oheial here laid down his pen, and,
throwing himself pack In his chair, smiled as
some Old case came to his mind.
LOST By ABsENT-MrSDEp PEOPLE.
ayes, he said, "people often deceive Themselves
They think they have been robbed Sometimes
absent-minded people forget all about what they
have done with their money or their jewelry, and
the police are called in In not haste, to hunt down
the thieves and recover the property supposed to
have been stolen. On one OCCASION dstectivs Of
flcer was summoned TO house to look for some
,ds5 "cn oa mac a eeen missing since the
French family here. The officer looked all through
the roons and IN the various places where jewelry
:shed breakfast and the dishes were being re-
moved from the table. The officer had begun to
give up an hopes Of nndins the jeweiry and began
TO suspect the servants, whom he questioned
closely, but he could get no trace OF the missing
properly: the detective, by mere chance, picked
In 1t; much 80 the establishment OF the whole
household, he found the Jewelry. It had been
tasre b 0y d mner 81 the family the day
after II was found, ut once remembered having
placed it there"
TIE STORY OF A DIAMOND RING.
"There was lady stopping at the Ebbitt House
year or two ago." the Official went on, "the
daughter OF gentleman prominent in political
circles. who was in the habit OF spending her win
.ef, IN Washington. While here he Was leader
10 society and Appeared az the principal social
always brought with her an extensive wardrobe
She wore valuable diamonds. On the occasion
refer to she took out from chest or case, In which
1t to some SVEN entertainment Returning
to her room late at night she took The
dress or h mad o It. folded sd carefully and re.
going down to breakfast, as she was looking over
her 1ewelry she missed valuable diamond ring
everywhere, but could not find 1T. Then she re-
ported her loss. detective was employed, the
servants were watched, officers looked every where
trace Of the missing fling. 1t was finally given up
as irretr,evaDiy lost. The next season the young
lady came to washington as usual to spend the
fret
she was invited to she opened the case to which
have referred and took out the dress that had
not oeen touched since the time the ring was lost
While before her dressing case arranging her
toilet she spied the missing diamond ring on the
floor, where It had fallen from the folds Of the
dress Il had gotten into the network of lace on
the dress, been folded up with it and had re-
manned there. or course every one Interested felt
very much relieved"
MRS. FoRTEscUE's JEwELRY-cAsE.
The official paused a moment, as il looking over
the 1le-cases of his memory, and then getting
hold OF the case he wanted, went on: miss Mary
Fortescue, the English actress, when here. after
her performance one Saturday evening went ouS
20 dine with some friends. Included In her ward
ROBE was case which contained q valuable dia-
mond bracelet and neckl ice ana diamond rings.
Many OF The rings were broken. as she SAID,
ing on the stage. After dining with her friends
that evening, upon returning to her hotel at late
hour she retired aud then for the first time missed
police officer and talked the matter over Moth
Ing, however, was heard OF the tewelry that
nSn out the next morning
ana found lying on the corner OF a seat the miss
ing jewelry-case undisturbed Miss Forteseue
thanked the department, and proposed to rewaid
Sergeant Dggins; but as the police OF the District
are not allowed TO receive rewards for such serv-
Ices the gallant sergeant was forced to content
himself with cabinet-sized likeness Of the fair
actress, bearing her autograph"
JOKE AND IFS RESULT.
another singular case occurred not long agos
he went on. IA commercial traveller while visiting
friends In this city, having good time returned to
his hotel at late hour One night. On waking he
reached under his pillow and found that his watch
was missing from Its usual place. He reported the
facts 60 the police and efforts were at once made
during the night previous one Of his rreuSs s 1 haa
taken the watch and chain from him as q Joke.
and without full Information in the premises Il
was recorded and treated as other stolen property
the practical joke was turned into serious mat
ter by the refusal OF the authorities to return the
watch to its owner. except as in the usual way.
upon an order Of the court After lapse Of seve,
was delivered to its owner"
EXPOSED BY THE WIND.
"Odd things occur, too, sometimes that lead to
the discovery OF q theft or OF evidence that Will
convict the suspected thlef Sometime aro a p,rl
was arrested In the suburbs charged with petty
larceny and taken into the Police Court where the
case was dismissed She Was, however suspected
OF another theft OF quantity OF wearing apparel
ana was helo TO answer that charge but the stolen
property could not be found and there was NOT
Sulncient evidence to convict the girl. She WAS
leaving the Police Court again and was walking
down the front steps, when puff OF wind blew uD
her skirt and exposed underneath one of the very
dresses the police had been looking IOr She was
at once reafreSted, taken back into court and con
victed on the evidence which had been brought to
light by pun Of wind"
SINGULAR COMPLAINT.
Eyes," said the Official as he took un his nen
again and prepared to resume the WORK on his
desk, ''sotne very curious complaints and requests
are made at police headquarters. One OF the run-
NEST cases occurred not very long ago. A man. a
real estate man here, came very hurredly into the
once and wanted to see the superintendent OF
police The superintendent was not in. he was
pressed to state his case, and ne did SO. It was
made. This false tooth had got out Of order in
some way. He had the tooth With him and Showed
1t. It did not lit well. He wanted to and out the
dentists whereabouts and have him apprehended.
He wanted to get the supertntendents opinion
whether or not the man who made the tooth
defects in the old one. He was very earnest about
IT, and seemed TO think 1t very hard that the notice
could not assist him In the matter"
-->O>--
Mrs. Cleveland and the Etrensenss E,taa,..
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 70 ALDERMAN BREKxAN.
Henry r. Beekman, president OF the New York
Board OF Aldermen, wrote to President Cleveland
on the 10Th instant, as follows: 'sIt would seem
that the invitation from the board OF aldermen af
this city TO Mrs Cleveland to present certain fiags
to the fire department OF this city in behalf Of the
donors, and Mira ClevelaHds reply, have heen mis.
interDfeted and differences drawn nv uorstr,,, ~,